Looking beyond the obvious: Uncovering the features of natural resource conflicts in Uganda

Disputes over land, water, forests, rangelands, and other resources, both privately and commonly-held, are omnipresent across Africa and increasing in number due to the socioeconomic and environmental changes happening on micro- and macro-levels. Communities in Africa have a variety of mechanisms ro...

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Main Authors: Nkonya, Ephraim M., Markelova, Helen
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161909
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author Nkonya, Ephraim M.
Markelova, Helen
author_browse Markelova, Helen
Nkonya, Ephraim M.
author_facet Nkonya, Ephraim M.
Markelova, Helen
author_sort Nkonya, Ephraim M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Disputes over land, water, forests, rangelands, and other resources, both privately and commonly-held, are omnipresent across Africa and increasing in number due to the socioeconomic and environmental changes happening on micro- and macro-levels. Communities in Africa have a variety of mechanisms rooted in customary and statutory institutions to deal with disputes. This paper uses community-level survey data from Uganda to investigate the determinants of natural resource conflicts and the type of institutions people turn to for conflict resolution. The findings identify four primary types of conflicts (over private land boundaries, common-pool resources other than water, water resources, and conflicts over other resources) and reveal that several factors such as agroecological potential, poverty level, population density, and proximity to roads and markets affect the likelihood of a resource-related conflict. The results also show that even though most people turn to the local government (a formal institution) for arbitration, customary institutions still play an important role in conflict management, especially for the poorer communities where formal institutions are weak. The type of conflict also matters for the type of institution chosen to resolve it with the conflicts over commons being mediated through customary institutions, while all the others are usually channeled though the local government. The findings point to the importance of both customary and formal institutions for conflict resolution options in Uganda, highlighting the need to examine their potential complementarities.
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spelling CGSpace1619092025-02-19T14:02:54Z Looking beyond the obvious: Uncovering the features of natural resource conflicts in Uganda Nkonya, Ephraim M. Markelova, Helen natural resources conflicts institutions formal institutions Disputes over land, water, forests, rangelands, and other resources, both privately and commonly-held, are omnipresent across Africa and increasing in number due to the socioeconomic and environmental changes happening on micro- and macro-levels. Communities in Africa have a variety of mechanisms rooted in customary and statutory institutions to deal with disputes. This paper uses community-level survey data from Uganda to investigate the determinants of natural resource conflicts and the type of institutions people turn to for conflict resolution. The findings identify four primary types of conflicts (over private land boundaries, common-pool resources other than water, water resources, and conflicts over other resources) and reveal that several factors such as agroecological potential, poverty level, population density, and proximity to roads and markets affect the likelihood of a resource-related conflict. The results also show that even though most people turn to the local government (a formal institution) for arbitration, customary institutions still play an important role in conflict management, especially for the poorer communities where formal institutions are weak. The type of conflict also matters for the type of institution chosen to resolve it with the conflicts over commons being mediated through customary institutions, while all the others are usually channeled though the local government. The findings point to the importance of both customary and formal institutions for conflict resolution options in Uganda, highlighting the need to examine their potential complementarities. 2009 2024-11-21T09:59:22Z 2024-11-21T09:59:22Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161909 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Nkonya, Ephraim; Markelova, Helen. 2009. Looking beyond the obvious. CAPRi working paper 0095. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://doi.org/10.2499/capriwp95.
spellingShingle natural resources
conflicts
institutions
formal institutions
Nkonya, Ephraim M.
Markelova, Helen
Looking beyond the obvious: Uncovering the features of natural resource conflicts in Uganda
title Looking beyond the obvious: Uncovering the features of natural resource conflicts in Uganda
title_full Looking beyond the obvious: Uncovering the features of natural resource conflicts in Uganda
title_fullStr Looking beyond the obvious: Uncovering the features of natural resource conflicts in Uganda
title_full_unstemmed Looking beyond the obvious: Uncovering the features of natural resource conflicts in Uganda
title_short Looking beyond the obvious: Uncovering the features of natural resource conflicts in Uganda
title_sort looking beyond the obvious uncovering the features of natural resource conflicts in uganda
topic natural resources
conflicts
institutions
formal institutions
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161909
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